In the United States, a 22-year-old has been officially accused of plotting an attack in Times Square, New York. The man allegedly tried to buy unregistered weapons and ammunition. He also tried to identify suitable places for an attack in Times Square. He was arrested on Thursday in Brooklyn, New York, when he was about to collect two pistols.
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According to the criminal complaint, the man from Bangladesh had previously revealed himself to an undercover investigator as a supporter of the jihadist militia “Islamic State” (IS) and described the attacks of September 11, 2001 as a “complete success”.
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Since August 2018, the man is said to have met regularly with the undercover agent. The investigators see him as a lone perpetrator. “I want to die as a fighter, man,” he said to the undercover agent in January while driving to a firing range in the US state of Pennsylvania.
He is said to have discussed the use of an explosive vest for the attack with the undercover agent. The two would then have decided to attack with hand weapons and hand grenades. The man finally asked the agent to get him an assault rifle or other weapons. He wanted to shoot gays with it, he said.
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Times Square in the heart of Manhattan has been the target of attacks before. In 2017, a US veteran drove his car into a group of people. A young woman was killed and 22 other people injured. In 2016, police arrested three men who allegedly planned bombings in Times Square and the New York subway on behalf of IS.
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